KOBANI, Syrian Kurdistan (Kurdistan24) – A Syrian Kurd opened a small eatery for falafel sandwiches last week in the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani and named it after the US President-elect Donald Trump.

Waleed Shekhi, the owner of Trump Restaurant, told Kurdistan24 on Saturday his new business was a result of the current war in his country.

“Keeping peace with the current situation in Syria and the US, I decided to name my restaurant after the new US president,” he said.

Regarding the purpose of the name “Trump” for his business, Shekhi said it was an opportunity to express “gratitude as a Kurd to the US for supporting them in the fight against [the Islamic State (IS)].”

Additionally, Shekhi said the difficult living conditions in Kobani lead him to embark on the new business.

“After the liberation of our town from [IS] two years ago, I had to try many hard jobs for my family, but in vain,” he said.

“I am hopeful I will make a profit from this small eatery because my wife and I serve delicious sandwiches, and moreover the name is attractive,” he said laughing.

In September 2014, Kobani was a battleground between IS insurgents, People’s Protection Units (YPG) forces, and Women’s Protection Units (YPJ).

On Jan. 26, 2015, the YPG, along with the Free Syrian Army (FSA), Peshmerga reinforcements, and US-led airstrikes, successfully liberated Kobani.